The Lilies have reached the second round after a hard-fought cup match in Jena. We’ve rounded up the post-match reactions for you.
„It was a fantastic atmosphere here in a packed stadium, with great emotion and a fair game. I think it’s a wonderful place to play football—the kind of setting a first-round cup match deserves. Jena played very well; they stayed in the game and caused us problems early on. They even managed to get some shots off in the opening 15 minutes. After that, we took control for the remainder of the first half. We created a multitude of chances, and I feel we really should have scored more than two goals. I’m very pleased with our reaction to conceding that goal—which will probably be voted ‚Goal of the Month.‘ In the second half, you could feel the nature of a knockout match; we sat back a bit more and managed the game. Not much else happened, though in the final minutes, you always get the feeling that something could happen at any moment. It was a real cup battle right to the end. Above all, I’m glad we’ve reached the second round. Given our rebuilding phase, winning matches is always important for building confidence.“
„We got off to a very good start and had a few attempts on goal; it would have been nice to get a bit more out of those. Darmstadt then took the lead with their first shot—that’s what you call efficiency and quality. Even so, we remained competitive throughout the match, though we did have to weather some difficult phases and situations. But that’s part of a game like this. Our equaliser was a really fine goal, of course, but after that, we needed to avoid falling behind again immediately. We kept the game alive in the second half, too, but ultimately, a cup match comes down to winning or losing. We believed right to the end, though Darmstadt played it out cleverly. It doesn’t feel great right now, knowing we were so close, but we can still be proud of our performance.“
„We got off to a poor start. We didn’t begin well in the first ten to 15 minutes; we lost possession too often and failed to win the second balls. We improved after the opening goal: we had more possession, kept hold of the ball, and won more second balls. We conceded a world-class volley from 30 metres out but responded immediately to make it 2–1. In the first half, I felt we should have scored four or five times to be safe. It was a tough match, but I’m happy we won and advanced to the next round.
Naturally, you want to score as early as possible. It gives you confidence—and speaking for myself, it gives you the belief that you can score more goals. You can see that with Lance’s second goal, too. You can see how we combine with each other, and I think that’s working really well. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.“
„It was a classic cup battle—one we rose to meet and ultimately won. I’m very happy we advanced; that was the main objective today. Anything can happen in a match like this, so ultimately, it was all about the result. It remained an exciting game for everyone involved right up to the end. Overall, we created more chances and could have scored more goals before the break, but we failed to put the game to bed. That kept things wide open until the very end. But today was about advancing—no matter how.“
SV 98 has secured a spot in the next round of the DFB-Pokal. The Lilies won 2–1 (2–1) away at FC Carl Zeiss Jena. Milan Smit (11th minute) and Lance Duijvestijn (41st minute) sealed the victory against the Regionalliga side.
Cup action for the Lilies. In the first round of the DFB-Pokal, SV 98 are away at FC Carl Zeiss Jena (August 23, 3:30pm). Florian Kohfeldt has made two changes to his starting lineup compared to the match in Dresden: Manolo Merx starts in place of Yosuke Furukawa, and Raoul Petretta starts instead of Florian Kleinhansl. Hiroki Akiyama is missing from the squad following a relapse due to illness.
Cup action awaits! On Sunday (August 23, 3:30pm), the Lilies kick off their campaign in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. The trip takes them to the ad hoc arena at the Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld in Jena—Thuringia’s "City of Light." What do the two head coaches have to say ahead of kick-off? Who is officiating the match? And where can you follow the action? As always, we’ve gathered all the key information about the game against Carl Zeiss Jena for you in "Matchday Guide."
Floodlights illuminate the pitch at Düsseldorf’s Rheinstadion as the FC Carl Zeiss Jena players step onto the field on May 13, 1981. Behind them lies a European campaign that has long since made football history: coach Hans Meyer’s team had already overcome AS Roma, Valencia CF, Newport County, and Benfica on their journey through the European Cup Winners' Cup. Now, just 90 minutes stand between them and ultimate triumph. Waiting on the other side is Dinamo Tbilisi. It is the biggest European night in the club's history—and even though it ends in a 2 - 1 defeat, this extraordinary journey remains inextricably linked to FC Carl Zeiss Jena to this day.
It was announced yesterday, Thursday (August 20th), that organised fan groups across Germany are planning major protests against the video assistant referee (VAR) during the first round of the cup competition. The SV 98 fan base has also stated that it will participate in these protests during the Lilies match against Carl Zeiss Jena. SV Darmstadt 98 fully understands the reasons behind the protests and is in complete agreement with the views expressed on many points.
Ahead of the cup match against FC Carl Zeiss Jena (August 23, 3:30pm), Florian Kohfeldt answered questions from the assembled journalists at the press conference. We have summarised the key statements made by the Lilien coach prior to the first round of the DFB-Pokal.
On Sunday, SVD faces FC Carl Zeiss Jena in the first round of the 2026/27 DFB-Pokal season. This marks the first-ever meeting between the two teams in this competition. You can find all further facts and figures regarding the match here.
On Sunday (August 23rd), we will be playing away against FC Carl Zeiss Jena at the Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld. Together with you, we aim to advance to the next round of the DFB-Pokal. As always, here is all the organisational information regarding the cup match in Jena:
For many years, the Lilien sponsors' summer party has been a fixture on the SV Darmstadt 98 summer calendar. For this year's event, the club headed to the Ried region—specifically to the Coreum in Stockstadt am Rhein. Together with more than 400 guests, the Lilien enjoyed an evening that was both informative and entertaining, and which flew by in a flash.
Our third away match of the new season takes us to Lower Saxony. We will be visiting VfL Wolfsburg on Matchday 6. Here’s how you can be there to support the team: the pre-sale for members begins this coming Friday (August 21) at 12pm – both online and at the ticket shop at the Merck-Stadion.
On September 3rd, children, young people, and their parents can find out about the new offering and get some hands-on experience with the punching bag.
SV Darmstadt 98’s U21 team drew 1–1 (1–0) away at KSV Baunatal. After taking the lead through Yannick Stark, the "Lilies" conceded an equaliser shortly after the break. Patrick Kurt’s side dominated proceedings for much of the remainder of the match but, despite numerous attacking forays, failed to score the decisive goal.